MINI now allows you to 3D print your own custom car parts

A lot of people like to add their own personal touch to their cars. Usually this is done through painting the car in a certain way or get something written on the car. However, MINI, a British automotive marque, owned by BMW, has now taken car customization to the next level with its new 3-D printing and laser etching customization service.

This service is one of a kind offering customers customization options never seen before for a mainstream public road vehicle. The service is known as “MINI Yours”. This new customization scheme offers a lot of new choices to customers of MINI, thousands of new possibilities through this revolutionary concept.

MINI Yours allows customers to design their own customized version of a car part and replace it with what’s currently being used in the car. The things that are available for customization range from dashboards panels, side scuttles, interior trim, illuminated door sills, indicator inlays and even puddle lights.

These things can be manufactured according to a customer’s own design (made online). These are not the only things either, the full list of customizable things would be too long to post here but there’s a lot you can change in your car through this service.

The latest 3-D printing and laser etching technology will be used allowing MINI customers to personalize their car even with their names or other things like logos or patterns with a wide variety of color and texture options. The company doesn’t take its sweet time either as the parts you design will be manufactured within 12 hours after your order and then delivered to your home in four weeks.

There are different choices for matt-effect components too ranging from Aspen White, Chili Red, Starlight Blue, Moonwalk Grey and Jet Black, these are designed in such a way that they match with the most popular and recent color and trim combinations. Further finishes will be added later.

The designing the part online according to your tastes part of the process is a simple one. The online configurator is easy to use and allows customers to manipulate many aspects of the part they’re designing such as color, size and finish. Most likely the most popular thing that’ll be ordered is the laser etched names because who doesn’t like their name on their car?

Just because people have a lot of customization options now doesn’t mean that MINI gets an excuse to compromise on quality. According to MINI, each of these components available for customization will have gone through rigorous testing, they’ll be made of the same materials as their regular cars, and they’ll also be following strict product quality guidelines. Therefore, no component that’s order should turn out to be defective nor should it break, fracture or fade and it shouldn’t also affect the usable life of the car either.

Prices and some product specific restrictions should be announced soon but it’s rumored that the cheapest parts would cost around 150 pounds. Initially, the designs will only be open only for the three and five-door hatchback models, as well as the two-door Convertible. Accessories for the MINI Countryman and Clubman are expected later.

The concept is revolutionary because it opens options for people designing the car before purchasing one in the future. Imagine you were going to purchase a car but you could add your customizations before purchasing, that’s an idea MINI could consider for the future.

The service is set to launch in March 2018 so it’s not far now. If you have an older car then it’s no problem as this service can be retro fitted to older cars as well.

There are a lot of ideas and positives that come into mind currently when looking at this service but it’s worth waiting first to see how it turns out before investing in it. It might be expensive for all we know.

Masters in Mass Communication, the writer is a journalist, currently working for FactsChronicle.

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